Zumiez is currently selling the G-Shock GD010BBR-1 from the Black and Bold Red Series for $99 in the U.S., despite that series not being announced or sold by Casio America yet (but expected to be coming soon). The watch features a dark red tint on the LCD display that results in a red-tinted LED backlight […]
G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog
The new Morizo x G-Shock DW-5600 collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing will be sold in limited quantities this weekend at the Fuji Super TEC 24 Hour Race at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Japan, according to various posts on X. (The event takes place on May 31 and June 1.) “Morizo” is the racing pseudonym of […]
G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog
Casio America has unexpectedly released the G-Shock GLXS5610-2 and GLXS5610-4 watches earlier than Japan and other countries. These G-LIDE surfing models have a smaller (S Series) form factor designed for women and feature a tide and moon graph. The summer-themed colors are inspired by Hawaii-born pro surfer and Team G-Shock athlete Bettylou Sakura Johnson, with […]
G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog
Heist-Out, the self-styled outcast watch magazine, has garnered attention not just for its off-kilter editorial style but for its unique authenticity. Not just with the unusual approach to their debut issue (medieval armour and Piaget don’t often go hand-in-hand) but with their painfully cool AREA_51 auction with Sotheby’s last month, which showcased plenty of weird and wonderful timepieces.
So, hoping that some of that cool would rub off, we sat down with Heist-Out founders Lorenzo Maillard and Maxime Couturier to talk watches, inspirations, and working with friends.
Piaget Upstream, image credit: Sotheby’s
Lorenzo: “The Piaget Upstream. It’s… how could you say, not the most beautiful watch as there are so many different design languages, but they tried so hard to make something that was supposed to be revolutionary. Unfortunately, it was launched in 2001, which wasn’t a great year and it didn’t do everything Piaget were hoping. But you can open it from the case rather than the buckle, so it has this complicated structure, and it was the first steel watch from Piaget for a long time, as well as the first automatic Piaget and one of the earliest at their Geneva facilities. So, it’s quirky and has a good story – even if it’s not necessarily beautiful.”
Maxime: “I collect a fair bit of fashion and probably what I have the most of are jackets. I started collecting Craig Green’s jackets and Raf Simons shirt jackets. I have four or so of the one, six or so of the other. They’re pretty pricey. Not as much as a watch – well, depending on the watch – so I’m going slow.”
Lorenzo: “I’m always inspired by vintage in everything that I buy and collect, so mostly cars. Cars is a real topic for me. Which specific model? That’s always hard as I love really quirky stuff, but a safe bet would be an Alfa Romeo Montreal, a really cool car from the 1970s.”
Maxime: “I’m gonna be quite bromance here and say that I’ve loved discovering that working with your friends can actually work. That’s probably what I love most about my life in the past, like five years working with a lot of friends, finding that it can be a great experience. You know, if you pick the right friends. It’s beautiful.”
Alfa Romeo Montreal, image credit: Sotheby’s
Lorenzo: “That’s a tough one, it’s deep. Lots of things inspire me. I’d have to say genuineness. Something, how do you say, real? Not too fake. It could be a product or whatever, but it has to have a meaning. It has to have a story to tell and perhaps most importantly, be humble about it.”
Maxime: “I’ll go back to fashion – and sorry about that – but you know, fashion is always thought about as something that’s quite surface-level, but actually the work of Willy Chavarria is incredibly genuine. He puts so much of himself into his work, which you also see through interviews. I hope we do the same.”
Lorenzo: “My Nona. Before you say anything, she was a celebrity to me growing up. I admired everything about her, her work ethic, her dedication to the family, the fact that she never put herself in front of the camera or in the limelight. She was always doing everything for other people, and she was always rewarding to connect with. She’s an inspiration.”
Sotheby’s and Heist-Out’s AREA_51 watch auction.
Maxime: “It would just be no computer and going to great restaurants with my friends and family. That’s all that matters. No matter where it is, all you need is good food and good people. The restaurant just needs to be really authentic, like going for Malakoff in a restaurant where the only customers are old and have been going to the same place for decades. You can’t beat that.”
Lorenzo: “A beer. Maybe two beers, even though I don’t necessarily drink at home. And Italian food, always some good Italian food.”
The UFO-themed Rolex “Starship Gold” was a highlight at the AREA_51 watch auction.
Maxime: “If you never try, you never know.”
Lorenzo: “It’s going to be a big year for us as we’re on the up. We’re building up the magazine, it’s no longer imaginary and everything’s been really positive. Now we just need to find the right partners, and kind of finding what sort of size we want to be.”
Maxime: “Yeah, it’s about staying true to what we did at the beginning that really matters, and that’s going to be tough as a lot of stuff is coming our way. So now it’s about trying to navigate and work with the people that will let us do what we originally set out to do.”
Oracle Time
Scottish watch brand anOrdain are one of the foremost specialists when it comes to creating artisinal dials within the British watch-sphere. By which I mostly mean Grand Feu enamel (aka vitreous enamel), a material they have truly mastered with references like the Model 3. However, with the launch of the anOrdain Model 2 Porcelain they’ve added a new material to their in-house repertoire – if you can’t work out which material that is, I’m not sure how to help you.
Porcelain’s production actually has several similarities to that of Grand Feu enamel, which is why it makes logical sense for anOrdain to expand in this direction. Both materials are fired in kilns from a combination of minerals. Although a key difference is that enamel is based on a glass powder while porcelain is glazed clay. Another major difference is that enamel is so delicate and the process is so demanding that it’s only realistic to produce a single dial at a time, but with porcelain it’s actually possible to create small batches.
In terms of production output, that simple fact means anOrdain can create many more porcelain watches than enamel in the same time. In fact, during the 3-year research period that it took to perfect the technique, the very first finished examples of the anOrdain Model 2 Porcelain were offered to people on the waiting list for their enamel watches. The official launch of the Model 2 Porcelain marks the first time the watch is being sold to new customers.
Diving into the details of the new dial, it’s made from porcelain with a glaze that incorporates an iron oxide compound, which is what gives it an intense black colour. Building on that are gold-plated hands and Arabic numerals that give the watch a sense of Gatsby era Art Deco style with a hint of luxury. That aesthetic becomes doubly apparent when you consider the stylisation of the Model 2’s bespoke typography. Adding a spot of colour is a red lacquered seconds hand with arrow tip.
Powering the anOrdain Model 2 Porcelain is a movement that has rapidly become an industry staple, the La Joux-Perret G101 with 68-hour power reserve. It’s one of the most popular movements among high end independent brands that don’t have an in-house manufacture. It’s protected by the Model 2’s 39.5mm diameter steel case.
At £1,800 (excl. VAT) it comes in as one of anOrdain’s most accessible watches to date, beaten only by the lacquer dial of the Fabrik Model 1. It currently has a 6-month production lead and is limited to one watch per customer. It’s always exciting when anOrdain expand their limited number of models and seeing them embrace a new material makes it doubly so. You can discover anOrdain at Hands On Horology in London on June 14th, secure your ticket here.
More detail at anOrdain.
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While there are some people who are all about the magnanimous value of tool watches and microbrands, sometimes it’s nice to admire some truly wild watch designs. The kind will make you stand out in any crowd. At Hands On Horology, there will be some bangers from independent and haute horology brands in London you might not have heard of, bursting with a creative spirit that will turn your preconceptions upside down. You could almost call it Hands On Haute Horology.
We are very pleased to share the bespoke creativity of Haute-Rive at Hands On Horology, expanding on their top-tier offering with the Honoris. The brand’s latest model comes with a dramatic deep blue figure-of-eight dial design set in a hand-polished 18K white or rose gold case with a deep blue dial. The dial has the deep lustre only Grand Feu enamel can provide and offers a fitting background to an open-worked theatre. The signature figure-of-eight design includes the captivating view of a flying tourbillon at six o’clock, and turning the watch over to reveal the HR01 movement, which is quite the revelation. The elaborate manual wind movement offers an unprecedented 1,000-hours of power reserve through a single barrel, thanks to a 3-metre-long mainspring.
As a member of the prestigious AHCI since 2021, Luděk Seryn is one of the most exciting and creative independent watchmakers currently establishing himself as a major player in haute horology. The watch that first drew notoriety was the Karel Rotation in 2019, which has subsequently been developed further in the form of the Adam Rotation ADR. What makes these watches exceptional is their interpretation of the carrousel movement, which is to say a movement that rotates inside the case of the watch. It makes for a extraordinary ballet of immaculately machined mechanical parts. What makes the Adam Rotation extra special is the lack of any bridges on the rear of the watch, giving an unparalleled view of the movement, which is wound autonomously via a peripheral rotor.
The impact of Bianchet’s intricate design language is underlined in the B 1.618 Ultrafino, a tonneau-shaped sports watch with a slim difference. The soft rectangular shape features the rarity of combining a titanium automatic tourbillon movement with one of the sleekest integrated bracelets we’ve seen this year. The UT01 movement is an engineering marvel, measuring just 3.85 mm thick and weighing only 8 grams. As one of the very few ultrathin automatic flying tourbillon movements in titanium encased in a 40mm case of brushed grade 5 titanium, the Ultrafino’s open-worked intricacies are tougher than they look. Boasting as it does 5,000G shock resistance and a 5ATM depth rating. A Bianchet is an investment, but in return offers a different take on today’s ubiquitous grail brand wristwear for the select few.
You will not see many examples of BA111OD’s watchmaking on British wrists, but this has the potential to change with watches like the Chapter 4. With this new concave 41mm steel case, BA111OD offers a temptingly accessible entry ticket to the dazzling world of the tourbillon with a minimalist difference. The Neuchâtel brand has set a flying tourbillon at 7 o’clock as the principal actor on a minimal stage sans hour markers. The enigmatic background is mirror-polished onyx stone, allowing the ethereally floating tourbillon to capture all the attention it deserves. The biggest temptation of the BA111OD tourbillon range is that it offers the biggest surprise regarding the price, as the only sub-£1K tourbillon watch from Switzerland available today.
We have seen tourbillon watch designs before, usually with the prima ballerina exhibiting its pirouettes at six o’clock. Antoine Preziuso’s TTR Blue Equalizer Frequencies takes the concept to new dimensions with the Tourbillon of Tourbillons movement. This is a core component for this brand, and the result of collaboration with his son Florian. Framed by a case that including its sides, crown and lugs are set with no less than 233 sapphires, wild is an understatement. The TTR is a sizeable watch at 47mm with three tourbillons on a revolving plate connected by a triple differential. Each tourbillon completes one rotation per minute, at a faster rhythm than the plate, which completes six rotations per hour (one rotation every ten minutes). And despite its size and open-worked complexity, Antoine Preziuso’s TTR Blue Equalizer Frequencies has a balanced poise to its flamboyance.
Legendary watch designers like Gerald Genta have shown us that watches do not need to follow the geometric rules. Today many grail watches champion the unlikely octagon shape, just like the Octavo series from British watchmaker Justin Richardson. He has carved out a shapely niche in the industry, though the latest 432 plays to a different shapely tune. The delicately sized 32x43mm case exhibits small-cased comfort with a big faceted presence. The 432 has a dramatic rectangular shape with a faceted slope to its sides, echoed in a deep rehaut that frames the dial. The three-dimensional effect of the 18K gold case pulls the attention to an inner dial with an equally a strong personality. Framed by dramatic polished indices the dial comes in a vibrant black mother of pearl with a crisp inset small seconds square at 6. Justin Richardson produce bespoke watches, so samples may vary.
Frederique Constant is not a brand associated with flippant or wild watch designs, let’s be clear on that. But that preconception flipped this year with a watch that looks anything but. So what is this epitome of Swiss classicism doing in this flamboyant story? Swiss Watching is predictable, and with an in-house perpetual calendar, you’d think the price would be too. However, while the 12.1 mm-thick stainless steel case is not surprising, in terms of value, the Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture is remarkable. At a retail price of £8,695, this is an unbeatable sum of manufacture parts. But with its gorgeous salmon dial, it is also a lot more. With a warm, copper-like tone and polished indices, the dial is busy yet immaculately balanced, offering classic dress watch elegance at a remarkably accessible price.
For a full list of exhibitors head over to Hands On Horology.
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I must profess to having a soft spot for Leica as a brand – though not as you may expect because of their cameras. My parents each own a set of Leica binoculars so I have fond memories of learning what the heck an avocet is and first encountering some of the more extraordinary creatures of the natural world with Leica gear. That’s not a random anecdote either because the natural world is also significant to the German brand’s latest addition to their horological offerings, the Leica ZM1 and ZM2 Urban Green.
As the name Urban Green suggests, the watches feature rich green dials that aim to balance the natural beauty of fertile green lands and the dynamic urban landscape. That concept finds itself expressed through a gorgeous forest green display with a smoky gradient that fades towards black around the edge, which is known in watchmaking terms as a fumé gradient. Leica have added an extra layer of romance by calling their interpretation of the style fumé noir, meaning smoky black. Completing the dials is a vertically brushed finish that pulls the whole thing together nicely with some much-needed texture.
Structurally and mechanically, the ZM1 and ZM2 Urban Green are identical to the original models first introduced in 2022, which were originally launched under the names L1 and L2 before Leica rebranded them under the Zeitmesser concept. That means a 41mm diameter case in stainless steel. The ZM1 features central hours and minutes with a small seconds subdial along with a power reserve indicator and date window. ZM2 features all the same functions with the addition of an internal rotating 12-hour bezel to serve as a second time zone plus a day/night indicator.
Powering both versions is the Leica calibre LH-1001 (sometimes simply referred to as the ZM1 or ZM2 calibre), a manual winding movement with a 60-hour power reserve operating at a 4 Hz frequency. It looks great through the exhibition caseback thanks to a combination of grainy and polished finishes that highlights the bold architecture, which itself places the spotlight on the balance wheel at 4 o’clock.
For pricing, the Leica ZM1 Urban Green starts from £8,720 depending on whether you opt for the calf or alligator leather strap or Milanese bracelet. The ZM2 Urban Green starts from £12,200. On paper that’s quite the substantial difference for what amounts to whether or not the watch has a second 12-hour scale. However, do remember that it’s an internal rotating bezel, which means the entire case has to be redesigned in order to accommodate the additional mechanism as well as an extra crown with which to control it.
More details at Leica.
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Awake first launched the Sơn Mài in 2024 and since then it has quickly sprung to the fore of stylish and colourful microbrand designs thanks to its use of traditional Vietnamese lacquer dials. The new Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf limited edition collection builds on that foundation by fusing that traditional lacquer technique with silver leaf to create a distinctive texture. The collection contains a trio of watches with colours inspired by the natural hues of Earth when seen from satellite images.
Jumping straight to the dials, the production starts the same as a standard Sơn Mài lacquer design. It starts with a lacquer base made from the sap of native Vietnamese trees that then has a black pigment applied to it followed by a layer of silver leaf. For a typical dial you’d then apply the coloured pigments of the final product but for the Frosted Leaf they’ve pushed the technique further.
They add a second layer of black pigment and then another layer of silver leaf. At this stage where it is multi-layered, one of the dedicated craftsmen sands the dial by hand in order to reveal different sections of the layers, creating the frosted texture that has a sense of three-dimensionality to it. It’s at this point they return to the coloured lacquer and polish to set in the final colours and finish. All in, it takes 15 hours to produce each dial.
The colours on offer are Green, Blue and Moca (mocha), inspired by the world’s forests, oceans and soil. They’re the type of dials you could spend hours studying thanks to the immense intricacies with no two looking the same. There’s a rich organic quality to it like a moss growing on an ancient wall, but you know, in a way that feels like luxury due to the shiny finish.
Beyond the new dials, the Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf series presents the Sơn Mài as we’re already familiar with from other references like the Jurassic. That means a 39mm steel case with a smooth bezel and polished lugs. In low light conditions they make use of the Sơn Mài’s signature lumed hour markers and hands which are constructed in a way to make them appear backlit.
Powering the watch is the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, visible through the exhibition caseback with custom Awake rotor. The G101 is currently regarded as the premium off the shelf movement among independent brands with increasingly wide usage across the industry. LJP have really stepped up as a practical, high performance alternative to Sellita, ETA and the Japanese manufactures.
Each of the three colours of the Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf is limited to 50 pieces, resulting in a total production quantity of 150 watches. They’re priced at €2,150 (approx. £1,800) excluding tax. That’s standard for Sơn Mài limited editions.These dials need to be seen in the metal to be truly appreciated, which you can do here in London on June 14th at Hands On Horology. For more information and to secure your ticket, click here.
More details at Awake.
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While we all know that the Omega Speedmaster was the first watch worn on the moon, the first Swiss watch to actually make it into space came a few years earlier in the form of the Breitling Navitimer. Though it wasn’t just any Navitimer, it was a custom model created at the request of astronaut Scott Carpenter with special adaptations ready for orbit. Its design is known as the Navitimer Cosmonaute, becoming a staple model in the Navitimer range over the years. On the 100th anniversary of Scott Carpenter’s birth, Breitling are remembering his horological legacy by releasing the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary.
The most famous aspects of the Cosmonaute are the ways in which it has been specialised for space travel. Instead of a 12-hour scale that uses the position of the sun in the sky to indicate whether it’s day or night, the watch features a 24-hour scale allowing it to keep time with ground control on Earth without relying on solar indicators. Afterall, in orbit the day-night cycle takes about 90 minutes and it would be very easy to lose track of the days.
Other changes include a wider bezel with more pronounced grip so that it can be utilised while wearing the thick gloves of a spacesuit. For similar reasons its traditional bracelet option is a stretch metal option so that it can fit over top of a spacesuit. As the Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary is decidedly terrestrial bound, they’ve been able to swap out that super practical bracelet for a more luxurious blue alligator leather strap in blue to match the blue sunray brushed dial.
Luxury is really a byword for this model because while the case may look like it’s made from a traditional tool watch material like steel, it’s actually made from platinum. Making this an even more exclusive version of the Cosmonaute than 2024’s gold edition. The case itself measures 41mm in diameter with a thickness of 13mm, well inside the ballpark for tool watches, if such a label can be applied to a platinum watch.
As I mentioned briefly, the dial features a sunray brushed blue colour paired with white, snailed chronograph subdials. The same white colour has been used for the slide rule bezel. I really like the lighter tone of the display with the blue and white considering that over the past four years or so every iteration of the Navitimer (Cosmonaute or otherwise) has had black as a primary colour somewhere on the display. It’s a breath of fresh air.
Powering the Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary is the Breitling Manufacture Calibre B02. It’s a manual-winding column-wheel chronograph with a 70-hour power reserve and COSC chronometer certification. It’s a beautifully finished movement with radial Côtes de Genève emanating from the exposed balance wheel. There are also a series of engravings commemorating Carpenter’s historic flight such as ‘Aurora 7’ and ‘3 orbits around the Earth’. Around the edge of the exhibition caseback there are additional inscriptions dedicating the watch to Scott Carpenter and marking it as a limited edition of just 50 pieces.
Due to its exclusive nature, platinum case and high quality movement, the Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary comes in at a price of £34,000. Between the historic connection to Carpenter and space exploration, it’s quite possible that the Cosmonaute is my favourite Breitling model.
More details at Breitling.
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G-Shock enthusiast Geesgshock leaked images of the upcoming G-Shock “GMW-BZ5000” with an MIP LCD display and a new type of case and bezel structure. The new structure appears to be a hybrid type with a stainless steel front and maybe a black resin (or probably a carbon fiber-reinforced resin) back, somewhat similar to a G-STEEL […]
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